Rwanda - the land of a thousand hills

Strong economic growth, vibrant urban life and modern health insurance: Rwanda is considered one of Africa's model countries. However, there are still gaps in healthcare provision. In the land of a thousand hills, CBM therefore supports eye health and rehabilitation projects.

CBM's commitment in Rwanda - comprehensive help for poor people

Kabgayi Hospital: Ophthalmology for all of Rwanda and beyond

Although around 90 per cent of people in Rwanda have health insurance, poor patients often lack the opportunity and financial means to travel to the nearest doctor. This is why one focus of CBM-supported eye work in Rwanda is on mobile work, e.g. in Kabgayi Hospital.

Unique in Rwanda: cataract operations for children

The clinic team reaches 15 of the country's 30 districts with the field services of its eye department. If necessary, patients are referred to the hospital and operated on there. Tens of thousands of people receive help in this way every year. What is special about the hospital is that it is the only one in the whole of Rwanda that also operates on children with cataracts.

CBM in Rwanda cooperates with various organisations of people with disabilities, churches and the Rwandan government in order to support people with disabilities on their path to autonomy, independence and the realisation of an inclusive society. In 2024, the seven CBM-funded projects will focus on eye health and rehabilitation through community-based inclusive development (CBID).

Great hardship despite economic upturn

Poverty and malnutrition are omnipresent in large parts of Rwanda.

In terms of economic upturn and modernisation, Rwanda is now a beacon among African countries. In 2021, economic growth was more than ten per cent. More and more large shopping centres and office complexes are being built in the capital Kigali, the infrastructure is considered one of the best in the region and the service sector now accounts for almost 50 percent of total economic output.

More than a third of people are undernourished

However, Rwanda is still one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 56 per cent of people live in extreme poverty (Human Development Index 2021/2022), almost 35.8 per cent are undernourished (World Hunger Index 2022) and the drinking water supply is inadequate, especially in rural areas.

History to be mastered

The effects of the genocide in 1994 can still be clearly felt today. Traumatisation, flight and return from exile are factors that shape social coexistence and sometimes make it tense. For example, there is hardly any social reappraisal of the genocide.

Impressions of the country and its people

Lake Kivu in western Rwanda is unique: both temperature and salinity increase with depth. The reason for this is volcanic springs underground. The flora and fauna of Rwanda are also of special variety and uniqueness... ...among other things, one of the last populations of mountain gorillas live in Rwanda. They became famous through the movie "Gorillas in the Mist". The Rwanda capital, Kigali, is bustling. The metropolis with 1.7 billion inhabitants (2022) is a young city founded in 1907. Despite its short history, it is the economic centre of the country and is characterised by steady growth. And yet many people—just under 83 per cent—still live in simple conditions in rural areas. There is often a lack of basic necessities. For example, two-thirds of Rwandans lack electricity. Many people, over 66 per cent, work in agriculture, for example on tea plantations like this. More than 55% of Rwanda's population lives in extreme poverty. Accordingly, many people cannot afford to see a doctor. To reach people in rural areas, employees of the CBM partners travel to rural areas to locate persons with disabilities in need of medical care.

Rwanda at a glance

The increasing urbanisation of the capital Kigali is unmistakable: Modern office complexes, shopping centres and transport concepts provide an improved infrastructure. This is in stark contrast to the situation in the countryside.

Area: 26,340 km² ¹
Population: 13.3 million²
Capital: Kigali
Climate: tropical highland climate, major rainy season February to May, major dry season June to mid-September¹
Languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili ¹
Religion: 44 per cent Catholics, 38 per cent Protestants, 12 per cent Adventists, 3 per cent Muslims¹
Life expectancy: 66.1 years³
Infant mortality rate: 41 per 1,000
Human Development Index: 165th out of 191³

Sources: Federal Foreign Office; ²Country data from the World Bank 2021; ³Human Development Index Report 2021/2022; (4) Country data from the World Bank 2020